I don't usually just post a link to other recipes without even trying
them, but...these all look soooo delicious that I couldn't help it.
I'll report back if/when I try some of them.
32 Vegan Recipes that are Perfect for Thanksgiving
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Quick Fall Favorites: Baked Apples, Butternut Squash
Everyone loves fall food, including me! Here are some tasty things I like to make in the fall.
Baked Apples
1. Choose whatever kind of apple you want. To do this recipe the true Speeding Rainbow way, simply pick out the cheapest apples at the grocery store.
2. Find a baking dish that looks like it will fit the amount of baked apples you want to make.
3. Put a bit of water at the bottom of the pan; 1cm or so high.
4. Slice your apples and put the slices in the pan. They should be all cuddly with each other.
5. Add however much of the following you care for on top of your apples: cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, oatmeal.
6. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes at 375-400 degrees.
7. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes or so.
8. Eat as much deliciousness as you want without feeling guilty because it's fruit after all. Impress your friends, who may think this is a really difficult dish to make because it is so tasty.
Butternut Squash
Halve your butternut squash, place it flesh-down on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Then eat the insides! (not the seeds or peel). For bonus points make baked apples and butternut squash at the same time so they can be oven friends.
Baked Apples
1. Choose whatever kind of apple you want. To do this recipe the true Speeding Rainbow way, simply pick out the cheapest apples at the grocery store.
2. Find a baking dish that looks like it will fit the amount of baked apples you want to make.
3. Put a bit of water at the bottom of the pan; 1cm or so high.
4. Slice your apples and put the slices in the pan. They should be all cuddly with each other.
5. Add however much of the following you care for on top of your apples: cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, oatmeal.
6. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes at 375-400 degrees.
7. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes or so.
8. Eat as much deliciousness as you want without feeling guilty because it's fruit after all. Impress your friends, who may think this is a really difficult dish to make because it is so tasty.
Butternut Squash
Halve your butternut squash, place it flesh-down on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Then eat the insides! (not the seeds or peel). For bonus points make baked apples and butternut squash at the same time so they can be oven friends.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Book Review: Fat Chance - Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease
I'm not going to lie - I checked out this book after hearing about it on NPR. Why?
Because it's difficult to get clear and accurate information on eating a healthy, balanced diet. Every few years a new 'fad' diet shows up, and non-dieters such as myself are left thinking...does any of this actually do anything? Should I cut out carbs from my diet? Should I avoid processed foods? Are the fruit and veggies I am getting hollow shells of their former ancestral selves? Is this toxic too? There's an overload of information and of people trying to sell you things - their book, their food, their exercise equipment, whatever. Food is labeled 'natural,' 'organic,' 'whole-wheat,' 'fjakdl-free,' and many of these mean little to nothing. And the USDA is under the lobbying influence of the food industry, so I'll just say no-thank-you to their recommendations.
But when I heard this little segment on NPR from this doctor/scientist Dr. Robert H. Lustig, I thought...this is a guy who sounds like he knows his science. Not in a pseudo-science hand-wavy way. I can spot that pretty easily. But in a way that was actually about biology and research articles done by medical and academic institutions. So I decided to check out his book.
I generally dislike any kind of self-help book. This is not really a book about dieting per se, but a book about the increase of sugar and additives into the international diet - the why, the how, and the results. It's a book tracing what is known about the causes of heart disease, diabetes, etc. Very fact-based. I skipped over some of the more dull parts, but I'll sum up the important take-away messages I got:
- Eat real food. Unprocessed food. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains. This is because...
- Fiber is super important for you for way more reasons than you know about. You should make sure you have both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet, and lots of it.
- Juice is BAD for you! Even if there is no added sugar, even if it is a 'full serving of fruits and vegetables,' and V8 and looks healthy and sounds healthy and omg it's fruit and vegetables it must be healthy! But it's NOT! This is because converting fruit & vegetables into juice gets rid of all of the fiber but keeps all the sugar. Juice has more sugar than regular pop. Even with the vitamins and minerals juice is not good for you. Water is way, way, way better for you.
- Sugar in naturally occurring foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) is fine, since it comes with the fiber and the other good stuff. Otherwise it's not good for you and we all get way too much of it. Fructose is the worst. So is high fructose corn syrup. Also, there are like 40 different ways to include sugar as an ingredient, so even if sugar doesn't appear in the first few ingredients listed, IT COULD STILL BE THE LARGEST INGREDIENT BY MASS. So conniving. This is just one of the ways that...
- Food labels are deceptive. They don't say how much sugar is added vs. endogenous to the food. They don't say how much fiber they've taken out. The ingredient list can be manipulated (as in the example of different kinds of sugar). Food without labels is generally nutritionally preferable to food with labels. That means real food.
A question I still have:
- Diet soda...is it bad for you? It doesn't have sugar, but apparently the jury is out on whether or not the net effect of diet soda is bad for you, neutral, better or worse for you than juice/regular pop, etc. This is something I'm interested in as a frequent diet-soda consumer.
Ultimately: I recommend this book if you're interested in public health, nutrition, or just learning a bit more about how to select healthy foods.
Because it's difficult to get clear and accurate information on eating a healthy, balanced diet. Every few years a new 'fad' diet shows up, and non-dieters such as myself are left thinking...does any of this actually do anything? Should I cut out carbs from my diet? Should I avoid processed foods? Are the fruit and veggies I am getting hollow shells of their former ancestral selves? Is this toxic too? There's an overload of information and of people trying to sell you things - their book, their food, their exercise equipment, whatever. Food is labeled 'natural,' 'organic,' 'whole-wheat,' 'fjakdl-free,' and many of these mean little to nothing. And the USDA is under the lobbying influence of the food industry, so I'll just say no-thank-you to their recommendations.
But when I heard this little segment on NPR from this doctor/scientist Dr. Robert H. Lustig, I thought...this is a guy who sounds like he knows his science. Not in a pseudo-science hand-wavy way. I can spot that pretty easily. But in a way that was actually about biology and research articles done by medical and academic institutions. So I decided to check out his book.
I generally dislike any kind of self-help book. This is not really a book about dieting per se, but a book about the increase of sugar and additives into the international diet - the why, the how, and the results. It's a book tracing what is known about the causes of heart disease, diabetes, etc. Very fact-based. I skipped over some of the more dull parts, but I'll sum up the important take-away messages I got:
- Eat real food. Unprocessed food. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains. This is because...
- Fiber is super important for you for way more reasons than you know about. You should make sure you have both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet, and lots of it.
- Juice is BAD for you! Even if there is no added sugar, even if it is a 'full serving of fruits and vegetables,' and V8 and looks healthy and sounds healthy and omg it's fruit and vegetables it must be healthy! But it's NOT! This is because converting fruit & vegetables into juice gets rid of all of the fiber but keeps all the sugar. Juice has more sugar than regular pop. Even with the vitamins and minerals juice is not good for you. Water is way, way, way better for you.
- Sugar in naturally occurring foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) is fine, since it comes with the fiber and the other good stuff. Otherwise it's not good for you and we all get way too much of it. Fructose is the worst. So is high fructose corn syrup. Also, there are like 40 different ways to include sugar as an ingredient, so even if sugar doesn't appear in the first few ingredients listed, IT COULD STILL BE THE LARGEST INGREDIENT BY MASS. So conniving. This is just one of the ways that...
- Food labels are deceptive. They don't say how much sugar is added vs. endogenous to the food. They don't say how much fiber they've taken out. The ingredient list can be manipulated (as in the example of different kinds of sugar). Food without labels is generally nutritionally preferable to food with labels. That means real food.
A question I still have:
- Diet soda...is it bad for you? It doesn't have sugar, but apparently the jury is out on whether or not the net effect of diet soda is bad for you, neutral, better or worse for you than juice/regular pop, etc. This is something I'm interested in as a frequent diet-soda consumer.
Ultimately: I recommend this book if you're interested in public health, nutrition, or just learning a bit more about how to select healthy foods.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Eggplant Parmesan
So guys, no one ever told me that eggplant Parmesan was so easy to make! I had it in college a lot but had never tried it myself. But when my grocery store had eggplants for $1, I knew this was the perfect time. And it turned out great! I modified the recipe from here.
Ingredients
1-2 eggplants (I used 2)
olive oil
salt
some kind of marinara (I used vodka sauce)
whatever kinds of cheese you have around (I used Parmesan, cheddar, and asiago.)
1-2 eggs (I used 1, but should probably have used 2)
Steps
1. Slice your eggplant into 3/4-inch-thick circles. Then put salt on both sides and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes. Something about getting weird juices out to change the texture and flavor. Whatever. Just go do something else for 20 minutes while your eggplant is hanging out juicing itself.
2. Once 20 minutes is up, rinse each piece of eggplant thoroughly in cool water and then shake it off and then squish the eggplant between paper towel on both sides to get remaining juices out. This is a teeny bit time consuming (ie, more than 2 minutes total) and I can't actually verify that this helps with anything, but it was recommended in the recipe I used so again, whatever, just do it.
2.5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
3. Now fry your eggplant patties in a skillet. If you use any oil, I recommend a little bit of olive oil. Flip 'em so they're brown on each side.
4. While you're frying, put some marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking pan. Whatever you have lying around. I used a loaf-sized pan.
5. Also while you're frying, beat your egg/s and then mix in the cheese.
6. Then, when your eggplants are done frying, put a row of them on the marinara sauce. Then spread some of the egg-cheese sauce stuff on the eggplant. Then stack more eggplant. Then more egg-cheese stuff. Until you're out of eggplant and egg-cheese.
7. Put the rest of your sauce over all of the stuff. Put that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly then. If not let it bake a little more.
I like that the ingredient ratios here are pretty flexible. I mean, it's basically eggplant, sauce, and cheese, so you can adjust it. Or you can default to my recipe-fixer: Add cheese.
Total time: like an hour. Definitely something I will make again! I'll post pictures when I eat the leftovers or when I make it again.
Ingredients
1-2 eggplants (I used 2)
olive oil
salt
some kind of marinara (I used vodka sauce)
whatever kinds of cheese you have around (I used Parmesan, cheddar, and asiago.)
1-2 eggs (I used 1, but should probably have used 2)
Steps
1. Slice your eggplant into 3/4-inch-thick circles. Then put salt on both sides and let them sit in a colander for 20 minutes. Something about getting weird juices out to change the texture and flavor. Whatever. Just go do something else for 20 minutes while your eggplant is hanging out juicing itself.
2. Once 20 minutes is up, rinse each piece of eggplant thoroughly in cool water and then shake it off and then squish the eggplant between paper towel on both sides to get remaining juices out. This is a teeny bit time consuming (ie, more than 2 minutes total) and I can't actually verify that this helps with anything, but it was recommended in the recipe I used so again, whatever, just do it.
2.5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
3. Now fry your eggplant patties in a skillet. If you use any oil, I recommend a little bit of olive oil. Flip 'em so they're brown on each side.
4. While you're frying, put some marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking pan. Whatever you have lying around. I used a loaf-sized pan.
5. Also while you're frying, beat your egg/s and then mix in the cheese.
6. Then, when your eggplants are done frying, put a row of them on the marinara sauce. Then spread some of the egg-cheese sauce stuff on the eggplant. Then stack more eggplant. Then more egg-cheese stuff. Until you're out of eggplant and egg-cheese.
7. Put the rest of your sauce over all of the stuff. Put that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly then. If not let it bake a little more.
I like that the ingredient ratios here are pretty flexible. I mean, it's basically eggplant, sauce, and cheese, so you can adjust it. Or you can default to my recipe-fixer: Add cheese.
Total time: like an hour. Definitely something I will make again! I'll post pictures when I eat the leftovers or when I make it again.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
(Grilled or Not Grilled) Vegetable Chili
I adapted this from Rachel Ray's "Big Orange Book." It turned out SO DELICIOUS and just the right amount of spicy. This is a great dish for a chilly day. Here's the altered version of her recipe:
Ingredients:
2 diced zuchinni
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
2 large portabella mushrooms, diced
1 red onion, diced
some extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
equivalent of 2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teeny can of jalapeno peppers
15 oz can of black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beer (if you're gluten free, hard cider would probably work as a substitute)
2 cups vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, shredded
tortilla chips for crumbling on top
shredded cheese to add on top (optional)
Directions: Saute diced vegetables in extra virgin olive oil until they're tender. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 min. Add the beans, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer for 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the crumbled tortilla chips and (if you're not vegan) cheesy goodness on top.
Ingredients:
2 diced zuchinni
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
2 large portabella mushrooms, diced
1 red onion, diced
some extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
equivalent of 2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teeny can of jalapeno peppers
15 oz can of black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beer (if you're gluten free, hard cider would probably work as a substitute)
2 cups vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, shredded
tortilla chips for crumbling on top
shredded cheese to add on top (optional)
Directions: Saute diced vegetables in extra virgin olive oil until they're tender. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 min. Add the beans, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beer for 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the crumbled tortilla chips and (if you're not vegan) cheesy goodness on top.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Quick, Delicious Sides
Veg sides that are delicious:
MASHED POTATOES!
Adapted from this random website.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 pounds (4 medium) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut into uniform 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
(optional) 2 tablespoons warm butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup soy milk
Preparation:
In large saucepan, add cut-up potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and just
enough cold water until potatoes are covered; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; cover and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes
or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat and immediately drain potatoes thoroughly. Return to saucepan; heat over medium-low heat approximately 1 to 2 minutes to dry potatoes, stirring occasionally.
In the same saucepan that the potatoes have been heated in, mash potatoes with a fork until chunky. Stir in warm butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of the soy milk. Add additional milk, a little at a time, if necessary, for desired consistency.
You can add chives or vegetables and stuff if you want. Yummmmm. I had never tried making mashed potatoes using soy milk but it turned out delicious!
KALE Take your kale (using only the leafy part) and saute in extra virgin olive oil until crispy and delicious. Then you're done!
LENTILS & VEGGIES
This can actually be a whole meal, since lentils have so much protein. Cook your lentils according to package directions (basically 2 parts water for 1 part lentils, simmer for 15-20 min) and add some cumin while they're simmering. Then add some chopped up vegetables either part of the way through (to soften them) or at the end. I have tried 1 cup lentils + 1 avocado + 2 fresh diced tomatoes and it was AMAZING and perfect as a (large) meal for one. Super easy and very tasty.
I'll post pictures of all of these delicious sides when I make them again!
MASHED POTATOES!
Adapted from this random website.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 pounds (4 medium) Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut into uniform 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
(optional) 2 tablespoons warm butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup soy milk
Preparation:
When the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat and immediately drain potatoes thoroughly. Return to saucepan; heat over medium-low heat approximately 1 to 2 minutes to dry potatoes, stirring occasionally.
In the same saucepan that the potatoes have been heated in, mash potatoes with a fork until chunky. Stir in warm butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of the soy milk. Add additional milk, a little at a time, if necessary, for desired consistency.
You can add chives or vegetables and stuff if you want. Yummmmm. I had never tried making mashed potatoes using soy milk but it turned out delicious!
KALE Take your kale (using only the leafy part) and saute in extra virgin olive oil until crispy and delicious. Then you're done!
LENTILS & VEGGIES
This can actually be a whole meal, since lentils have so much protein. Cook your lentils according to package directions (basically 2 parts water for 1 part lentils, simmer for 15-20 min) and add some cumin while they're simmering. Then add some chopped up vegetables either part of the way through (to soften them) or at the end. I have tried 1 cup lentils + 1 avocado + 2 fresh diced tomatoes and it was AMAZING and perfect as a (large) meal for one. Super easy and very tasty.
I'll post pictures of all of these delicious sides when I make them again!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Red Quinoa and Black Bean Vegetable Salad
Dearest readers - this is THE BEST VEGAN DISH I have ever had. So delicious. I am going to be making this many, many times.
"Light, fresh, and packed with protein and healthy fats, this tangy salad will have you dreaming of spring and summer." Inspired by Epicurious, and passed along from B. Makes about 5 cups.
Ingredients for the salad:
-1 cup uncooked red quinoa
-1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
-1 cup fresh corn (optional)
-1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Ingredients for the dressing:
-4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (will take about 2 small limes)
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
1. Cook 1 cup red quinoa according to package directions.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keeps fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days.
"Light, fresh, and packed with protein and healthy fats, this tangy salad will have you dreaming of spring and summer." Inspired by Epicurious, and passed along from B. Makes about 5 cups.
Ingredients for the salad:
-1 cup uncooked red quinoa
-1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
-1 cup fresh corn (optional)
-1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Ingredients for the dressing:
-4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (will take about 2 small limes)
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
Directions:
1. Cook 1 cup red quinoa according to package directions.
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing.
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Keeps fresh in a sealed container for 1-2 days.
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